


Dawn of a New Era

by McTimeWithAutomail



Series: Dreams of Sunsets and Singers [2]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Big Brother Warriors, Dreams and Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Marin is having a rough time, Marin is real because I make the rules, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rating May Change, Trauma, implied marin/link, lots of hurt minimal comfort, lots of platonic cuddles in the future, marin needs a nap-wait bad idea, marin only remembers koholint, she doesn't remember anything before koholint though, time to bring the pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26825833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McTimeWithAutomail/pseuds/McTimeWithAutomail
Summary: "But verily, it be the nature of dreams to end"-This fic exists partly because Sunset Hair and Ocean eyes accidently became a series and I am severely needing big brother Warriors content, as well as Warriors and Marin interaction.I have big plans for this series >:3AKA what's worse then Legend thinking he destroyed all of Koholint?Marin thinking she's the reason everyone on Koholint and Link is gone and it's her fault.
Relationships: Legend (Linked Universe)/Marin (Legend of Zelda), Link/Marin (Legend of Zelda), Marin (Legend of Zelda) & Warriors (Linked Universe), mask & warriors
Series: Dreams of Sunsets and Singers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888546
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	Dawn of a New Era

**Author's Note:**

> So: Sunset Hair and Ocean eyes went from being a oneshot to a oneshot with a sequel...and now I have at least 3 parts planned as well as a very detailed backstory for Marin in my mind XD  
> Big thank you to all the discord people who listened to me ramble about this fic and my backstory for Marin and how she ended up on Koholint. I really appreciate it <3  
> I don't have a writing schedule set yet, but I'll be working to get next chapter written as soon as possible! This is my first multichapter piece, so hopefully you all enjoy it!

_ A dark corridor, the hallways twisting and turning around him. The darkness creeping ever closer as the man’s shadow grabs for his throat. Pulling him back, back towards the statues, the portraits, the images of him, him,  _ **_him_ ** _ everywhere. A laugh echoed, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Nails against his skin, sinking deeper and deeper into his shoulder. Her voice called his name as he was shoved against the wall. His shoulder she had his shoulder  _ **_she was grabbing his shoulder-_ **

_ Link _

_ Link _

_ LINK _

The slamming of feathers and cotton against his face was enough to finally rouse the hero from his sleep. He groaned from the hit, rubbing at his eyes before pushing himself up into a sitting position. The pillow was in the hands of a very tired looking Mask, dark circles beneath the young boy’s eyes revealing his lack of sleep. 

“What are you doing awake this early in the morning?” Outside the tent, the sun had barely begun rising, rays of pink and orange beginning to cut through the still dark sky. 

“You would’ve been getting up in ten minutes anyway,”

“You’re not answering my question,” the pillow was yanked from the young boy with a slight struggle as Warriors gave Mask a knowing glare. “I told you that if you’re going to be of any use, that you need to actually sleep at night instead of whatever gremlins like you do during the dark hours.”

The young boy huffed, crossing his arms. “I was keeping watch.”

Warriors sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to summon the correct words to say. He could barely keep track of how many times the two of them had gone through this discussion, but he wished that the child would actually listen to him for once. “Sprite I’ve told you that you don’t need to do that. The world isn’t going to fall apart if you just get a few hours of rest.” His gaze turned toward the window, the beginning sunrise seeming to send away the visible reminder of last night’s full moon. He knew that this child had been commanded to save his world by Hylia when he was much too young. This responsibility had left him merely a shell of what a child should be, too many years hiding behind his eyes and whispering through his words. Too young to be the soldier he strives to act like, and much too young to truly handle the power of that cursed mask hanging on his hip.

No matter how much Warriors tried, he couldn’t get the boy to destroy the mask he carried, no matter how much Warriors shared his fears of what it could do to him. Each time the mask was used, he could see how much it drained him, and how it was harder and harder to separate the deity and the boy from one another. He simply had to do the best he could to keep him safe and prevent using it as much as possible. 

Throwing off the blanket, Warriors slowly stood from the cot he had set up. The troops all had rooms in the castle, and Warriors had his own comfortable room, but hordes of monsters in Hyrule field forced them to set up camp in order to keep them from attacking Castletown. Oh how he missed his comfortable bed. The cots weren’t terrible, but Warriors swore that his body would never be the same after sleeping on those things. The only thing he needed to do to get dressed was to put on his hat, scarf, and shoes since he tended to sleep fully clothed. He claimed it saved time, but in reality it simply made him feel better to have it on, the pants and undershirt for his tunic kept him covered enough to feel comfortable. After giving his body a moment to crackle and pop from standing up and briefly stretching, he made his way towards the tent flap. Mask followed close behind him, and Warriors pretended to not notice the way that the boy rubbed at his tired eyes. 

“Did you already wake up the pirate boy?” A hand found the young boy’s shoulder as they walked through the grass, still damp and shining with morning dew. With a small shake, Mask switched to using his hands.  _ “Just you, I originally came to kill the bokoblin in your tent and found it was just you snoring.” _

“I do not snore, you pint-sized terror.” He grumbled and pulled open the flap to the “war room” tent where Zelda, Impa, Lana, and the pirate were waiting. 

“Looks like the captain has finally joined us. Good morning,” Zelda nodded in greeting, to which Warriors responded with a bow. The two weren’t always this formal with one another, but out on the field they had to act the part. Warriors didn’t want to be responsible for having a whole army think it was okay to call the Princess anything other than “Your majesty” or “Your Highness”. Impa stepped forward, spreading out their maps across the makeshift table that took up the center area of the tent. Large purple circles showed all the current rifts they were aware of in their Hyrule. Places where magic had ripped holes in their reality and caused heroes old and new to be thrown together...unfortunately there were a  _ lot _ of these portals.Impa’s brows furrowed as she stared intensely at the map, until finally pointing to the area she had been searching. A patch of forest just outside Hyrule field. 

“Last night’s patrols reported a new rift opening. We are unsure if anyone came through, since we don’t know exactly when it opened. We can assume it brought monsters at least, a large group seems to be preparing to attack.” 

“Define large,”

“Well over fifty, close to a hundred most likely.”

“I’ll be sending Impa as well as Li-Captain, and the pirate. I trust you three can handle this?” Zelda pretended to not notice the glare the youngest member was sending her, but before he could sign his protests Warriors placed a hand on his back. 

“You need to get some rest. You haven’t slept, and I need you at your best in order to help.” As Mask’s eyes narrowed in frustration and his lips were pressed in a thin line as he signed  _ Hands off or I bite. _ Warriors sighed before getting down to Mask’s level. “Sprite, please. I need you to not be a stubborn pain in the ass.” 

Shoving Warriors’s hand away, Mask took off in a huff to who knows wherever he enjoyed hiding away from people. The tent flap fluttered closed, the tent silent before Zelda addressed the other two heroes and the sheikah. 

“Report back to me with your findings as soon as possible, you know what to do if you see any monsters. You are dismissed.”

“Yes Princess.” The group bowed respectfully before filing out of the tent. As soon as they exited, Impa turned to the boys, simply commanding before she turned to leave. 

“Gear up, we head out in ten.” With a nod and salute, the three parted ways in order to strap on their weapons and armor for battle.

They had a portal to find

-

**"BUT, VERILY, IT BE THE NATURE OF DREAMS TO END! WHEN I DOST AWAKEN, KOHOLINT WILL BE GONE..."**

_ The end...the end the end  _ **_theendtheendtheend-_ ** _ but of what. Remember...remember… _

  
  


**"ONLY THE MEMORY OF THIS DREAM LAND WILL EXIST IN THE WAKING WORLD... SOMEDAY, THOU MAY RECALL THIS ISLAND... THAT MEMORY MUST BE THE REAL DREAM WORLD..."**

_ What about a dream, this can’t be a dream. Where is he where where is he alright is he okay did we succeed _

**BEGIN YOUR NEXT CHAPTER, DREAMER GIRL…**

_ The end the end the end, it was all a dream, the island was a dream, my life was a dream, Link was a dream every kiss every brush of our hands every stitch and he’s gone all of koholint is gone  _ **_I KILLED THEM I KILLED THEM I KILLED THE_ **

Marin sat up with a gasp, her whole body shaking as she drive-heaved. Her head spun and she couldn’t remember how to breathe. Her arms and legs felt hollow and she dropped like a rag doll to the ground. She had no clue where she was, but she felt like hell. Coherent thoughts teased her, barely within reach as she tried to piece together what happened.

Koholint, Link, the Windfish and then...nothing. Link went to wake the Windfish after  _ she told him about it _ .  _ She _ encouraged him,  _ she _ helped him. All the islanders, Link…

Oh Hylia,  _ she killed them all. _

An overwhelming sense of nausea overcame her, but she refused to let herself focus on the feeling. She stared intensely at the dirt, willing the burning tears in her eyes to go away. She shook from the effort, trying to swallow back the grief washing over her as she managed to push herself into a sitting position. She still felt too weak to stand, her body felt ready to dissolve at any moment and she couldn’t remember how she had functioned until now.  _ How do I breathe, how do I move, what do I do _ \- she heard a cry buried somewhere among the trees and bushes around her, and her head cracked against a tree behind her as she startled. 

The world twisted and the ground pulled, but she dug her fingers into the bark to try and stand. She scanned the ground for a stick or something that could be used to defend herself, when out of the corner of her eye she noticed a handle of some-sort peeking out of a bush. Stumbling over, she gave the handle a yank and out came a hefty bell.  _ The sea lily bell _ . She bit the inside of her cheek.  _ This isn’t the time to get emotional Marin. What would Link do? _

Hearing more grunts and shouts, she steeled herself before charging forward, bell in hand. At the first sign of a group of red, pig-like creatures she swung her bell upward. It connected with a clang, the creature letting out a screech before falling. Everything became a blur, white metal striking red, fire lashing her arms and back. Clangs and screams and cries bled together. 

When she suddenly felt something clamp around her arm with the bell, her free hand swung around and landed a punch that would’ve made Link proud. A loud crack, a hiss, knuckles bled but she could barely tell over the ringing in her ears and the way she could no longer focus on the blurred sight around her. 

“Let go! Let me go!” She swung again but missed, her legs finally giving out. Her body fell into the dirt except for the arm that was still being held. Her shoulder pulled uncomfortably with the motion, but she didn’t care. Colors blended, her body pulsed and throbbed from pain and sound had lost all meaning. Marin didn’t even realize that she had finally started crying until calloused hands found her shoulder and cheek,  _ had Link come back to her _ ? She never got her question answered before everything started going dark around her. She could have sworn she heard the sweet melody of an ocarina by her side before she lost consciousness. 

-

_ Fingers in her hair, a sweet melody being hummed in her ears. The breeze was bittersweet, cooling and salty but warm at the same time. Birds walked the sand and chased far off clouds in the sky as the last of the sun’s light sank away.  _

_ “I wish I could fly like a seagull. Having wings would be the perfect way to see what truly lies past the ocean.” Marin was sitting in front of a fire with Link, a blanket wrapped around the two. His chin rested on the crown of her head as she had her head tucked against his chest. If Marin closed her eyes, she could tune out everything but the sound of Link’s heartbeat, steady and persistent. Something about truly feeling a heartbeat other than her own felt so surreal, so intimate. She had grown to know this heart, the way it fluttered from her teasing kisses to the corner of his lips, the steady thrum it settled into when Link was truly asleep, the staccato that a brush of the fingers could cause, or belong able to calm rapid spikes and gasps of air to dull to a gentle rise and fall of his chest after a bad dream.  _

_ “I promise Marin, once this is all over I’ll take you anywhere you want. I have so much to show you, I don’t even know where to start honestly,” Marin could hear the smile in his voice as he slowly, softly kissed her head while tucking a stray hair behind her ear.” _

_ A faint commotion in the distance made itself known, as a voice called “get up.” _

_ Marin’s lips twisted it a confused frown. “Did you hear that?” As she turned to face Link, her heart stopped at the sight of Link crumbling away in front of her. She tried to grab him, but he was sand spilling through her fingers. He was gone. There one moment, the next it was like he didn’t exist. This was her fault.  _ **_What had she done?_ **

_ “Get. Up.” _

_ “AWAKEN!” _

Marin’s eyes felt heavy as she managed to slowly open them. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this tired.  _ Have I even been tired before? I can’t even remember if I’ve felt this horrible before.  _ There wasn’t much light in the room, except for the telltale glow of a fire. A heaviness had settled in her head, and she lacked the strength to even attempt moving. Allowing her head to roll to the side, she realized there was a pillow underneath her head and a blanket wrapped around her. Somewhere between getting dumped in the middle of a forest and passing out, she had somehow ended up...wherever this is. 

It wasn’t until Marin was curling up on her side that she noticed someone watching her in the corner. Even in the dim lighting, she could make out the small, soft features of a child, but something about the look in his eyes seemed unusual, almost haunted. For someone so young, the cerulean eyes that looked through her seemed to have a lifetime of stories behind them. Much more than she could claim she had. Did she ever truly have a life before the island? There existed nothing beyond Koholint. Marin was simply a girl with nothing more than a name, the clothes on her back and the bell in her hand. A girl built entirely from a lie. A girl who’s memories were consumed by a life that never was, who left a path of destruction where she walked. 

Seeming to snap out of his own thoughts, the young boy stood and quietly moved over to her. Blonde bangs framed his face, and he wore a green hat with a tunic to match. He still kept his distance, seeming hesitant to get too close to the stranger he had been watching. Her eyes widened, as it dawned on her how much he reminded her of Link.  _ I wonder if he looked like this when he was young.. _ . She didn’t realize how dry her throat was until she managed to give a quiet greeting. “Hi,” She attempted to clear her throat before continuing. “Where...where am I?” 

The boy seemed to pause and consider this question, but rather than answer he turned and took off running from the room. Marin stared blankly at the door, trying to process if someone had actually been there, or if she had simply imagined the boy. With a sigh, she sunk her head back against the pillows. Just as her head hit the pillow, she could hear two sets of footsteps making their way down the hall outside her door. She lay in frozen silence as the door creaked open, revealing the return of the boy with a man in tow. She squinted in the dim lighting, the most she could make out being the vivid blue of a scarf slung around his shoulders. A sword that looked oh so familiar to her was strapped to his side, and the boys’ outfits caused a painful tug in her heart. 

He came over and had a seat on the edge of the bed, and Marin finally could get a better view of the man’s face in the firelight. One of his cerulean blue eyes had a painful looking blue and purple bruise surrounding it. The younger boy was standing silently behind the man, a small hand gripping his scarf. He gave her a charming but sweet smile as he greeted her. 

“Hey, nice to see you’re awake! How do you feel?”

“Uhm...I-I’m not sure…”

“Understandable. You took quite a beating but I think we patched you up pretty well. A few stitches and scratches, but I couldn’t check for much else with you unconscious. Speaking of, I need you to look straight at me.”

He gently took her head in his hands, trying not to jostle the girl too much as he checked her eyes. “How’s your vision?”

She tried to ignore the throbbing headache that she could feel behind her eyes, trying to look around the room without truly focusing on her surroundings.  _ Could she be dreaming again? Was that what this floating sensation was? Why was her heartbeat in her ears? She didn’t want to be here, she wanted to wake up.  _

“Woah hey, I need you to look back at me, sweetheart. Focus back on me.” Marin’s attention snapped back to him, wincing from the pounding in her head. “I feel awful…’m I dyin?”

“Oh no, no of course not,” He gave a half-hearted chuckle before growing serious again. “You do seem to have a pretty nasty concussion though. You took quite a hit to the head, and I was a little worried that you weren’t waking up. My tiny friend behind me was keeping an eye on you until you woke up, I think he may have also been a bit worried.” He whispered the last bit with a smirk, receiving a smack on the back of the head from the younger boy. 

“Oh! We haven’t been properly introduced yet. This is going to sound super weird, but I’m Link, or Warriors as everyone calls me now, and the terror behind me is also Link, but we just call him Mask.” His face then turned serious. “And seeing that you ended up here because of one of those portals, we have a  _ lot _ of catching up to do.”


End file.
